Also, I'm thinking about getting a cow this year, a Jersey. any thoughts? cow owners? dairy guys?

[farminator3000]

all i've really heard is Jerseys make the best + most milk, which is what i'm after.

true?

[Betsy Ross]

1. Do you have any goats?

[farminator3000]

3. nope.

how much danger do coyotes pose to goats?

[Sanity Claws]

2. How much land do you have?

Cows are herd animals. A lone cow may be too unhappy to give a lot of milk.

[farminator3000]

4. ~250 acres.

would other animals (goats, dog, even chickens) help?

[Sanity Claws]

5. don't know

Sorry.

My contact with dairy cows is very limited -- a few summer visits to a family farm in Ireland.

The basis of my statement:
I saw that an established herd of cows would not allow a new cow into the herd. The new cow gave less milk than she used to for the original owners. She was always on the side and never part of the herd.

[Scuba]

6. Holsteins for quantity, guernseys for quality.

Jersey's are cute, as are Brown Swiss.

[farminator3000]

7. do you milk? (cows of course)

so is the book i have outdated? i read Jerseys have the highest fat content in their milk?

also, what quantity are we talking here, i have a feeling one cow is more than enough?

am i wrong in thinking 4 or 5 gallons a day?

[Scuba]

8. I grew up on a 12 inch stool building forearms like Popeye, but haven't milked a cow in 45 years....

I still wake up early to milk every damn day though!

I would put more stock in your recent research than my 50-year old folk lore, although I maintain that Brown Swiss are the cutest of cows.



You can average four gallons a day, but remember, she'll produce more when fresh than when not, so production can vary greatly from day to day.

[tosh]

10. Wow! She looks a lot like my next-door neighbor

who occasionally wanders over for some petting .

Are Brown Swiss a relatively small breed?

I'm a year away from being ready for cows and had decided on a few Pineywoods but I may have to reconsider.

[fasttense]

9. A Jersey's milk tends to have a high fat content.

But does not produce as much as a Holstein. A Holsteins gives more milk but it is lower in fats.

After the calf is born and the colostrum is done, the cow will produce a lot of milk. She will eventually dry up maybe in about 6 years (if she is milked regularly sooner if not milked) or so if she does not have another calf. But in about a year the milk quantities will noticeably reduce and they will be in cycles - in spring she'll give more and in winter she may not give any. It depends on the cow, how old she is and how well fed she is. That is why dairy farmers breed their cows every 7 to 12 months, to keep the high quantities of milk flowing.

If you fail to milk a cow regularly, twice a day, the cow will dry up or get sick. That's why Farm sitters make good money during vacation season from smaller dairy farmers.

[LWolf]

11. If I were going to get a cow, I'd get a Dexter.

http://www.dextercattle.org/adca/adca_about_dexters.html

[truegrit44]

13. I raised Dexters for years they are wonderful!

Won't give a lot of milk but have a fairly high cream content and they are just wonderful small cows, don't take much feed, easy keepers, sweet dispositions. Also, provide an excellent meat if you want to butcher a bull calf.

Never heard of only breeding dairy cows every 7 years??????????? I am very familar with dairy operations and all of them breed their cows every year. They are pg 9 months so they breed them back within a couple of months after calving and then dry them off at 10 months until they calve and then start the process over.

I also raised dairy goats for many years and you can prolong them more than a year but you won't be getting much milk.

Read about the Dexters from above post

[MrsMatt]

12. Jerseys are nice

Holstein will give the most milk, but they have the lowest percentage of milkfat.

The link below can give you some information regarding the most popular breeds. I'm a bit in disagreement with their assessment of Guernseys; I find them to be a little delicate. You might consider a cross or grade rather than a purebred.

http://spiritedrose.wordpress.com/jersey-cattle/looking-for-a-cow/comparison-of-the-dairy-breeds/

good luck!